AirSpaceMag.com

Beautiful Bombers

A new book documents the glory of the World War II aircraft

A Boeing YB-17 flies over the Cascade Mountains. Though the B-17 program initially lost out to the cheaper Douglas B-18, the U.S. Army Air Corps saw so much potential in the B-17’s design that funds were made available to continue developing the aircraft.
(John R. Bruning Collection)

By
John R. Bruning

July 12, 2011

4 of 11

YB-17

(John R. Bruning Collection)

A Boeing-built YB-17 at Langley Field in Virginia (center) dwarfs the other aircraft at the base.